Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1109037

registered interest
date	02/04/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Self-employed: Billing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to tackle late payments to freelancers.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	239900
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/04/2019 answer text <p>Government is clear that unfavourable payment practices is a serious issue. That is why we have a range of measures in place with the aim to address the imbalance in market power between parties, increase transparency and encourage better payment practices through culture change.</p><p> </p><p>The Payment Practices and Performance Reporting Requirement requires large businesses to report biannually on their payment practices and performance. Businesses must publish this information on gov.uk, providing transparency in payment practices and making payment behaviour a reputational, board room issue. To date over 13,000 reports have been submitted.</p><p> </p><p>Government continues to support the Prompt Payment Code as a best practice in payment standards. Last year the Secretary of State announced a new, tough and transparent compliance regime to ensure the Code is rigorously enforced. The Secretary of State also announced that he had appointed the Small Business Commissioner to the Prompt Payment Code Compliance Board.</p><p> </p><p>Last year Government launched a Call for Evidence to assess what further steps and intervention may be needed to create a responsible payment culture. A full response will be published shortly and will contain a full package of policy measures.</p><p> </p><p>At Spring Statement Government announced that it will require large company’s Audit Committees to review payments practices and report them in their annual accounts. This will elevate payment practices to Board level and increase transparency.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 11/04/2019 15:00:12 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 112703 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1109047

registered interest
date	02/04/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Food Poverty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the effects of food poverty on children and young people's physical, emotional and educational well-being.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	239901
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>The government supports the provision of nutritious food in schools, which ensures pupils are well nourished, develop healthy eating habits and can concentrate and learn. We encourage a healthy balanced diet and healthy life choices through school funding, legislation and guidance. Under the benefits-based criteria, around 1.1 million of the most disadvantaged children are eligible for and claiming free school meals – saving families around £400 per year. Benefits-based free meals were extended to disadvantaged further education students in September 2014. A further 1.5 million infants receive free nutritious meals under the universal infant free school meals scheme.</p><p>We are also investing up to £26 million to the National Schools Breakfast Programme. This money will kick-start or improve breakfast clubs in over 1,700 schools and target the most disadvantaged areas of the country, including Opportunity Areas. Healthy breakfast clubs can play an important role in ensuring children from all backgrounds have a healthy start to their day so that they enhance their learning potential.</p><p>In addition, in 2018 the government announced a programme of work to explore how to ensure disadvantaged young people can access healthy food and enriching activities over the school holidays. We awarded £2 million to 7 organisations to deliver free healthy food and enriching activities to disadvantaged children during the 2018 summer holidays. In November 2018, we announced details of a £9 million fund for summer 2019 to set-up local coordinators of free holiday activities and food provision in summer 2019 in a number of local authorities.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 08/04/2019 15:31:30 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1109175

registered interest
date	02/04/2019
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	BeoutQ
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations he has received on alleged infringement of broadcast rights by Saudi Arabian-based media company beoutQ; and what steps he has taken in response to those representations.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	239902
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>We have received representations from a number of UK-based companies about this matter and HM Ambassador in Riyadh has raised this on a number of occasions with Ministers in the Saudi Arabian Government.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Beverley and Holderness answering member printed Graham Stuart grouped question UIN 239903 239904 question first answered 08/04/2019 12:20:38 answering member 1482 label Biography information for Graham Stuart
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1109177

registered interest
date	02/04/2019
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	BeoutQ
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations he has made to the Government of Saudi Arabia on the potential implications of the activities of (a) Saudi Arabian media company beoutQ, (b) the founder of that company Dr Raed Khusheim and (c) that company's satellite broadcaster Arabsat.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	239903
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>We have received representations from a number of UK-based companies about this matter and HM Ambassador in Riyadh has raised this on a number of occasions with Ministers in the Saudi Arabian Government.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Beverley and Holderness answering member printed Graham Stuart grouped question UIN 239902 239904 question first answered 08/04/2019 12:20:38 answering member 1482 label Biography information for Graham Stuart
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1108654

registered interest
date	01/04/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Air Pollution
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to ClientEarth's correspondence with local authorities in England and Wales on the the legal risk of inaction on air pollution, whether local authorities are sufficiently equipped to address illegal air pollution levels.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	239189
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2019 answer text <p>The UK continues to meet all current international air quality limits except for NO2. In July 2017 we published the NO2 Plan, backed by £3.5 billion funding, which sets out the steps we are taking to comply with NO2 limits as soon as possible. Also, we published our ambitious Clean Air Strategy in January which the Director-General of the World Health Organization described as “an example for the rest of the world to follow”.</p><p> </p><p>Recognising that there are still local authorities which are in breach of statutory limits on roadside NO2 concentrations, the UK government allocated £495 million of funding to support local authorities in its 2017 plan. Local authorities already have many powers to monitor and reduce air pollution and we continue to work intensively with them, to identify measures to bring forward compliance as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 04/04/2019 15:42:02 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1108695

registered interest
date	01/04/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Fungicides
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to ban chlorothalonil following the EU's decision to do so.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	239190
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2019 answer text <p>The European Commission Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (pesticides legislation and residues) voted not to renew approval of chlorothalonil on 22 March. The Commission is now expected to adopt this proposal. Once the text is published, it will come into force after 20 days.</p><p> </p><p>When we leave the EU, the UK will retain the list of EU-approved pesticides in UK law as it stands at the point of departure (or at the end of the Implementation Period, if this applies).</p><p> </p><p>If we leave the EU without a deal and the EU decision on chlorothalonil is not in force at the point of leaving the EU, then the UK will make its own decision on this approval. We have made clear that we will not weaken standards. Decisions on the use of pesticides will continue to be based on a careful scientific assessment of the risks, and we would legally apply the same principles established under the EU regulation. Responsibility is shared between Defra and the Devolved Administrations. This would be based on a recommendation from our national regulator, the Health and Safety Executive, and additional independent advice and assurance from the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 04/04/2019 15:53:30 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1108726

registered interest
date	01/04/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Children in Care: EU Nationals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of support for EU children in care that will need to apply to stay under the EU settlement scheme.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	239191
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2019 answer text <p>The Home Office has put in place a comprehensive vulnerability strategy to ensure that the EU Settlement Scheme is accessible for all, including children in care.</p><p><br>The Home office has been engaging with relevant stakeholders such as the Department for Education, Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Children’s Services to assess the needs of this group and ensure they are supported.</p><p><br>Specific guidance and resources for local authorities and community leaders is being produced to inform vulnerable groups about the application process and the need to apply.</p><p><br>The Home Office has introduced a range of support including up to £9 million grant funding for voluntary and community organisations, assisted digital support and support via the EU Settlement Scheme Resolution Centre.</p><p><br>A New Burdens Assessment has also been produced in collaboration with key stakeholders representing local authorities and children’s social services to ensure they are funded to identify and support EU children in care.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 04/04/2019 15:26:55 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1108733

registered interest
date	01/04/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Pollution Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to maintain strict regulatory control on air and water pollution after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	239192
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2019 answer text <p>Through the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and secondary legislation made under it, existing EU environmental law will be brought into domestic law and will continue to operate in the UK after exit day.</p><p>Air quality targets for 2030 are already in domestic law.</p><p>Permits and licences issued by UK regulatory bodies will continue to apply as now.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 04/04/2019 16:51:06 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1108748

registered interest
date	01/04/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that it meets its international obligations under the Dublin III regulation.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	239193
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/04/2019 answer text <p>The Dublin III Regulation is a long-standing mechanism between EU Member States to determine which single State has responsibility for examining an asylum claim, whilst at the same time recognising family ties as a factor to unite whilst an asylum claim is considered. We will be bound by the Dublin III Regulation as long as we remain a member of the EU; and in the event of a deal, we will continue to meet our obligations under it throughout the Implementation Period.</p><p>The Government is fully committed to the timely and efficient operation of the Dublin III Regulation including the family reunification provisions. The UK continues to process requests from other Member States to transfer individuals to the UK to have their asylum claims assessed.</p><p>The UK has taken a number of actions to strengthen Dublin processes. As part of the Sandhurst Treaty, signed between the UK and France on 18 January 2018, we agreed a comprehensive package to support unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee children. This includes a £3.6 million development fund to support eligible children through the Dublin process and ensures that those without any prospect for transferring to the UK are informed of their options. We have also agreed shorter timescales for the acceptance and transfer of cases under the Dublin process and have deployed a UK asylum liaison officer to France to support this process.</p><p>We are working to secure a comprehensive returns agreement with the EU that replaces our obligations under Dublin once we leave the EU, post Implementation Period. Furthermore, as set out in section 17 of the Withdrawal Act, the UK will seek to negotiate an agreement with the EU to continue to provide a legal route for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children to be reunited with family members in the UK.</p> answering member constituency Romsey and Southampton North answering member printed Caroline Nokes question first answered 05/04/2019 11:56:32 answering member 4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1108752

registered interest
date	01/04/2019
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Equal Pay: Public Sector
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps he is taking to tackle gender pay disparity in the public sector.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	239194
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>We introduced ground-breaking regulations in 2017 requiring large employers, including over 1,600 public bodies, to publish their gender pay gaps annually. The rate at which the gender pay gap will narrow is dependent on a large number of complex factors, but this Government is working hard to close the gap as soon as possible.</p><p> </p><p>In order to support employers to address their gender pay differences, we have published evidence-based guidance on practical actions they can take to close the gap, alongside help to diagnose the causes of their gaps and develop effective action plans.</p><p> </p><p>We have been working with Government departments and representative bodies to understand the underlying causes of the gender pay gap in different public sector workforces, and to consider what measures will have a positive impact. We have also engaged directly with employers in the public sector, through events and interactive webinars. We will continue to build the evidence base in order to support employers to continue to take the right action.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 08/04/2019 16:19:29 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly